Powers Up/Fans Spin/No Post/No Signal

[frenzel.z@gmail]

Hi All,

Newbie here building my first machine (have done upgrades before but first shot starting from scratch.

Got my machine put together, hit the power button, held my breath, and nothing....

Well a little more than nothing. The fans kicked on, the hard disk appears to be running, the dvd drive spins and seems to detect the OS disk I put in. But I get no post beep, and no monitor signal.

I have double checked to ensure that the 24 pin ATX power cord is snuggly in place, and that the RAM, Video Card, and heatsink are all seated correctly.

Anyone have any ideas?

Specs are as follows:
Motherboard: EliteGroup NF650isLIT-A
CPU: Intel Core II Quad Q660 (retail package with intel heatsink)
RAM: 2 x 1 GB A-Data DDR2 800
Video Card: MSI NX8600GT

Thanks in advance (and please don't let it be something expensive or dead, my heart will be broken!)

[ebarrera]

you say you have no video when you boot. Are you using a vieo card, or integrated video? if integrated video is available, use it and see it you can retrieve something visual.

The first step is to resolve the video issue, then go from there

[frenzel.z@gmail]

Thanks for your help.

Unfortunatly there is no integrated video on my Motherboard, so I've really got not other option.
Even with the video issue aside, shouldn't i be getting some kind of Beep when the system starts?

[RIR]

Thanks for your help.

Unfortunatly there is no integrated video on my Motherboard, so I've really got not other option.
Even with the video issue aside, shouldn't i be getting some kind of Beep when the system starts?

Assuming you have all the correct parts and have installed them properly... It sounds like you've got a dead board. From my experience you wouldn't be the first either.

I'm having the exact same problem (twice now). My MB wasn't DOA but it died after some use. I'm giving it one more try w/ yet another warranty replacement (also replacing the power supply just in case). If it fails again I'm moving to another manufacturer.

My advice... if it IS dead, change to another manufacturer now and save yourself future headaches. These boards don't have a very good track record.

Good luck!

[frenzel.z@gmail]

Thanks for the reply. Is there easy way to test if my board is dead (other than plugging in all new parts and seeing what happens)? If it is dead, what are the chances that it has fried other components in my system?

Thanks for the advice. I got the MOBO on NewEgg and it was well reviewed, but EVERY board I saw had at least one perons who found theirs DOA, so I wouldn't be suprised if I was just "lucky".

[willcomp]

Contrary to what you read in Newegg reviews, DOA mobos are rare. The problem usually lies elsewhere -- incompatible parts, improper assembly, or another faulty component.

Your memory is compatible with most chipsets and motherboards.

Check position of CMOS reset jumper.

Remove memory and see if there are any beeps.

Disconnect/remove everything but mobo, CPU, PSU, memory, video card, and keyboard. Try a basic boot.

[frenzel.z@gmail]

Hi WillComp,

I think you nailed it, CMOS Reset Jumper was on the wrong position (is that common for a MOBO out of the box?).

Anyhow, I put the jumper back to the 1-2 position and it started up, and I finally got a video signal!

Now the bad news....

Now when I power on, it powers off after only running for a few seconds. The time it takes to power off seems to be linked to how long it has been since I last had it on (i.e. If i leave it a few minutes, I might get 15 seconds. If I try right after it powers off, it might turn off immediately).

Any ideas? I was wondering if the power supply I have for this system is appropriate for the system I speced out. It is equiped with an Antect 380w EarthWatts PSU.

I appreciate your expertise on this issue.

Contrary to what you read in Newegg reviews, DOA mobos are rare. The problem usually lies elsewhere -- incompatible parts, improper assembly, or another faulty component.

Your memory is compatible with most chipsets and motherboards.

Check position of CMOS reset jumper.

Remove memory and see if there are any beeps.

Disconnect/remove everything but mobo, CPU, PSU, memory, video card, and keyboard. Try a basic boot.

[willcomp]

Check CPU HSF. Did you remove tape/plastic on bottom? Thermal compound applied? CPU fan connected and operating?

This could be an overheating issue.

PSU is a possibility. To test, disconnect drives and remove all but one stick of memory. That'll give PSU a little more "breathing room" but not much. It should boot a basic system.

Another possibility is a faulty capacitor on motherboard or in power supply. Try another PSU if one is available.

PSU is marginal with your CPU and video card. I recommend a good quality one of at least 450 watts.

Re: CMOS jumper -- it's common for ECS and PC Chips (same company), but not everyone else.

[frenzel.z@gmail]

Right Again I think.

Upon closer inspection of the Heat Sink I noticed that one of the 4 corner anchors had popped up, and that another was not quite as depressed as the others.

I got the anchors in, will be booting back up in a bit to see if it did it!

Check CPU HSF. Did you remove tape/plastic on bottom? Thermal compound applied? CPU fan connected and operating?

This could be an overheating issue.

PSU is a possibility. To test, disconnect drives and remove all but one stick of memory. That'll give PSU a little more "breathing room" but not much. It should boot a basic system.

Another possibility is a faulty capacitor on motherboard or in power supply. Try another PSU if one is available.

PSU is marginal with your CPU and video card. I recommend a good quality one of at least 450 watts.

Re: CMOS jumper -- it's common for ECS and PC Chips (same company), but not everyone else.